This is a place where Gestalt and Social Constructionism meet. ‘Ge-what and what?’ Already confused? You could well be. I’ll have a go at explaining it. I discovered these words whilst studying organisational and coaching psychology. They arise out of a background, a field of research, experience and practice where psychology and philosophy dance together to create meaning. They have become words that I love, carrying all kinds of exciting insights, ideas and potential.

Yet my point is that they only hold meaning, evoke a response, against a backdrop. My experience and understanding could be very different to yours and that will influence what we each notice, what sense we make of it and how we feel when we encounter it. So, for instance, if you are feeling irritated now by my use of academic-sounding language, your focus is likely to be on me, on my words, rather than on the personal background and experiences that influence your reaction.

Gestalt describes this phenomenon as ‘Figure’ – for argument’s sake, the thing we notice, that is holding our attention, in the moment, and ‘Ground’ – the background to the ‘Figure’ that we are not noticing. Similarly, Social Constructionism proposes that it’s the hidden subconscious backdrop of our beliefs, values, interests, experiences etc. that create meaning and make sense of that which we notice and focus on. And, for most of the time – the background is completely invisible to us.​So here are some ideas: You’re leading a team and people get stuck, fixated on an issue. Why is it so important to them? Check out the invisible backdrop as a way of resolving it. You’re facilitating an organisation through change and things start to feel derailed. Surface underlying cultural constructs and assumptions to enable a shift. You’re coaching a client who presents an issue, a relationship, as if it exists in a vacuum. Explore the invisible context, the ‘what else’, to create a solution.

Thank you Nick for the article. Very interesting on both the 'academic-sounding language', as well as on the personal perception.

In this article, you have almost invited the concept of the 'Shadow' of C. Jung when you brought Gestalt, and the subconscious of Social Constructionism to the argument.

How we bring out the best in people while inviting them to dive within in an attempt to turn their individual 'Shadow' to gold is the challenge indeed. You have, indeed, suggested a courageous trip to the individual unconscious, not to mention work on a collective level in complex derailed organizations.

Is it possible?
Yes, just like you, I believe so.

To reach meaningful solutions that can be sustainable over time is the real challenge though.
This, I think, is at the core of effective behavioral coaching;
to facilitate the solution, and to ensure its implementation over time.

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Nick Wright

23/7/2016 09:40:22 am

Hi Leila and thank you for sharing such profound reflections. I'm intrigued by your comments about the 'shadow' (Jung), particularly in terms of turning the shadow into gold. I wonder if the shadow forms the backdrop to the light (and vice versa)..? In other words, does the light exist and hold meaning only against the backdrop of (in this case, in contrast to) the dark - and vice versa too? What do you think? On a related theme, you may be interested in this short piece: http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/shadow All the best. Nick

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leila

23/7/2016 10:02:06 am

Absolutely Nick. Knowledge through its paradox is essential.

What I like about the concept is that Jung looked at the shadow as the deep unconscious part that can be turned into the most enriching side of the 'self'.

Thank you for the link.

Nick Wright

23/7/2016 10:09:09 am

Hi Leila. Now I'm even more interested to hear more. Do you have any examples of what that could entail in practice? Thanks! All the best. Nick

Michael Will

23/7/2016 10:04:33 am

After the lack of success with formal, objective, symbolic reasoning, general artificial intelligence research is now turning to subjective, experiential constructionism. I see a lot of parallels between OD and AI.

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Nick Wright

23/7/2016 10:07:27 am

Hi Michael and thanks for posting such a fascinating response! I haven't heard of that parallel before. Can you say a bit more? Do you have any examples in mind to illustrate what it could look like in practice? All the best. Nick

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Michael Will

23/7/2016 12:14:08 pm

Two blurbs I've written touch on these subjects, although they don't directly address OD vs AI:

Love this nick -I would like to add a little to this if you don't mind - my thoughts are taking me in an interesting direction when I am reading this - as coaches we normally put our ego or IDD to one side and act as the catalyst as I have said before - a simple step I have always used to see the invisible as you call it. is C A R - C = context A= action R = result I have also made a simple poem up to link a few things up in this step - look at a star = Situation - Task - Action -Result put it into CAR- and always be in a BAD mood to do it BAD= Belief-Action - Desire - would love you're feedback on this - Rick

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Nick Wright

23/7/2016 12:12:58 pm

Hi Richard and thanks for sharing some great acronyms! :) I think that elements such as Context, Situation, Belief etc. would certainly help to bring the backdrop into view. Action and Result do too - more subtly so, e.g. 'What would constitute success here?' says something about the beliefs, values, culture etc. of the context. Do you have any examples from experience of using CAR, STAR and/or BAD that you would be happy to share to show what it can look like in practice? All the best. Nick

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Sarah Clark

23/7/2016 01:04:37 pm

Great article Nick.

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Nick Wright

23/7/2016 01:05:59 pm

Thanks Sarah! All the best. Nick

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Cath Norris, MA, BA, Dip Couns

24/7/2016 01:10:31 am

Hi Nick, I love your encouragement to explore context with folks. :)

As coaches we can be picking up on a lot of un-named background material. Our own feelings and insights can be a useful barometer of what folks are leaving unsaid. If we feel exhausted as we listen or angry or have an image of gazelles in flight, being willing to offer that - 'I'm feeling...I wonder if that resonates here' can invite in whatever is in the individual or group field. We become part of that field when we consciously enter it. Bringing forward whatever we are sensing in the background supports the invisible to be made visible. I could write a lot more, I love contextual work.

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Nick Wright

24/7/2016 01:17:04 am

Thanks Cath. I think what you share points to a really interesting use of self in coaching and how that which we experience with the client in the 'field' (another great Gestalt insight!) could point to significant factors in the client context, not simply in the client themselves. (Factor sounds too clinical, but I'm struggling to find a better word). You reminded me of this short piece I wrote a while ago that, I think, resonates with your insights on and approach to this: http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/listening-for-a-voice Let me know what that evokes for you? All the best. Nick

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Cath Norris, MA, BA, Dip Couns

24/7/2016 01:53:28 am

Lovely Nick, I love the way you've so clearly identified the voices which we are listening for. It resonates with some of my Process work learning. The 'voice of God' is related to as the 'essence level', where confusion ceases and there is a resounding sense of oneness - which reminds me of the work by David Mearns on relational depth.

Then there's the sentient level

"The Sentient Body is the deep and subtle experience of our physical body, the physical body connected with the Earth through sensory perception. Defined as “endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness", sentience is a direct path to our personal divine nature" Lisa Marks

Defined as “endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness", sentience is a direct path to our personal divine nature, which is not separate from the divine nature of the Earth and the cosmos. The gift of the body is its extraordinary capacity to connect with and process the mass of wiggling, jiggling electrons, the spiritual backdrop to our world of density and matter. Bodies are exquisitely attuned to the vibrations, frequencies and cycles of the intelligence of the cosmos and the Earth.

“'Sentient' is another important word. It refers to the continuous and automatic awareness of subtle, normally marginalized experiences and sensations.”

Nick Wright

24/7/2016 01:57:55 am

Thanks Cath. I think the notions of body and sentience you describe here resonate very well with Gestalt notions of sensation and field. Do you have any examples from experience where you have drawn on this kind of insight to raise awareness and insight into the client's wider context? All the best. Nick

Cheryl Hudgins

24/7/2016 01:24:23 am

Socratic questioning

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Nick Wright

24/7/2016 01:26:52 am

Thanks Sarah. What kind of Socratic questions might you pose to enable the client to explore that which - until now - lays invisible in the client's subconscious and wider cultural context? All the best. Nick

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Aldo Delli Paoli

24/7/2016 03:13:19 am

Very enjoyable and well-written article.

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Nick Wright

24/7/2016 03:14:12 am

Hi Aldo and thank you for your kind and encouraging feedback. All the best. Nick

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Cath Norris, MA, BA, Dip Couns

24/7/2016 03:20:21 am

Yes Nick, working with a young guy who felt disconnected from his feelings, I noticed that when he did talk from his feelings there was a disconnect, a kind of sideways jump occurring around his heart as he brought them to the surface. I had a distinct, visceral sense of this in my own body but couldn't have clearly named the physical cues, they were very subtle, it was more of an internal energetic shift that I was noticing in my own body. I fed it back and it brought up the moment and circumstances of his disconnection which he was able to acknowledge and move through.

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Nick Wright

24/7/2016 03:27:19 am

Thanks Cath. I can see that as an example of intrapersonal awareness and shift for the client. It makes me wonder what 'disconnected from feelings' could also reveal about the client's situation, e.g. a cultural environment (e.g. family, work) where emotion (or expression of it) is not valued or is discouraged or frowned upon. This is of interest to me as an OD practitioner and coach because, where patterns in such experiences become apparent, it can point to something in a wider team or organisational culture that could be worth paying attention to too. All the best. Nick

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Cath Norris, MA, BA, Dip Couns

24/7/2016 04:53:14 am

Yes Nick, exactly. In this instance the client was addressing issues on an intra-personal level but transpose this to a group setting and the underlying themes take on a much broader context - isolated parenting and it's impact on children, the cultural social field and dominant paradigms informing this belief system, the collective implications...

Fabio Polese

24/7/2016 04:54:48 am

Nice Nick. in my work two things proved to be effective over and over again in the situations you described: context and assumptions. challenging the latter is something you already mentioned. as for the former, taking a step back to look at the bigger picture always helps, at least in clarifying the importance of an activity towards reaching the end goal.

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Nick Wright

24/7/2016 05:01:23 am

Thanks Fabio. Yes, paying attention to the bigger picture can be useful and informative. One of the interesting challenges is knowing - if that is possible - what the bigger picture is. We select certain information as significant and important and create a narrative around it to provide a sense of coherence. The inherent issue in this is that we select on the basis of presuppositions we already hold. I think this is where insights from social constructionism can be so important. Is the bigger picture something that is intrinsically 'there' - in which case our endeavour is to discover it - or it it something we create and construe - in which case our endeavour is to create one that works for us. What do you think? All the best. Nick

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Thea Khama

24/7/2016 09:53:09 am

It is the experienced intention of listening for your clientele's listening, in other words, their bigger perspective... Or perspective or feeling prompting what they are saying.

As a budding coach and long term mentor, I tend to allow the client to unpack this for me whether in a group scenario or in an individual setting. I suggest that, "Just to clarify, maybe you could tell me why you feel it is so important we focus on this..." Then they stop -reflect -and usually hand deliver their true perspective. I then confirm this with them ( reconstructing what I see from what they've shared) and they either clarify or confirm in even more detail. In the process sometimes they have an insight that the issue they thought was pivotal is not really the issue at all! 😊 from here we see if creation is appropriate ( which it usually is - especially if things are stuck or not working) . I would love to hear how others hear the invisible...

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Nick Wight

24/7/2016 10:07:53 am

Many thanks, Thea. I think, 'Why you think it is so important we focus on this' is a great question. A slight rephrasing could be something like: 'What could the fact you are raising this here and now tell us about the wider context you are operating in at the moment?' For example, a supervision client once approached me to ask if I would help them to write a strategy document for their organisation. I responded that, yes, I could do it. However, I also inquired into why the client was bringing it to me rather than, say, to their own leader. At first they looked surprised...then they explained that they were struggling badly in their relationship with the leader. I asked, therefore, whether they would like us to focus on the strategy or on their relationship with their leader. They responded, 'My relationship with my leader'. It was as if the relationship with the leader provided the invisible backdrop to what they were bringing to me. This simple inquiry made the invisible visible. In Gestalt language, the 'Ground' now became 'Figure' and shifted the entire focus of our work together and what it enabled as a result. All the best. Nick

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Janelle Davidson

25/7/2016 12:23:34 am

A timely article when our new organisation is experiencing change at every turn. Thank you penning and sharing this.

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Nick Wright

25/7/2016 12:31:56 am

Thanks Janelle. :)

The images and analogies that came to mind as I read your note were: what do patterns in reported incidents at a hospital accident and emergency department say about 'invisible' culture and conditions in the wider community; what does a disaster on the international scene reveal about the 'invisible' conditions in which it occurred (e.g. risk/vulnerability/resilience).

Given that you are facing so many changes, I wonder if you've come across Rosabeth Moss Kanter's wise guidance in this area? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/change-leadership-principles Let me know if any of this resonates (or not!)

All the best. Nick

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Michael G. Sheppard

25/7/2016 09:29:03 am

That is truly the biggest challenge teachers face today. There are a multitude of problems going in our students' lives. In order to overcome them, educators need to see the invisible wall, or gap, that is preventing them from reaching that level of excellence.

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Nick Wright

25/7/2016 09:35:17 am

Thanks Michael. I think the challenge you mention poses really interesting and important questions for educators and educational establishments, e.g. 'What are we here to do?', 'What is our role in relation to the student?', 'What is influencing students' abilities to achieve their potential?', 'Where are the boundaries for us as educators?', 'What other agencies do we need to work with to ensure student support, challenge and success?' etc. Some of these questions relate to specific individual student circumstances; some to the wider systems of which students, educators and institutions are a part. All the best. Nick

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Joaquim Saramago

26/7/2016 12:10:21 pm

Portanto o todo é a soma das partes..maybe one new model social..Geo-social. Invisible in one context at resolution at conflicts.

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Nick Wright

26/7/2016 12:10:52 pm

Thanks Joaquim. 'The whole is the sum of the parts'. I think that's a great way of thinking about interdependencies in human systems. All the best. Nick

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ANIL SAINI ( PhD.MBA.PGDM.DIS.DME.NCVT)

26/7/2016 12:12:03 pm

Wondrful.

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Nick Wright

26/7/2016 12:12:38 pm

Thank you, Anil. All the best. Nick

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Alubba Fenix

27/7/2016 02:21:57 am

Nice post Nick. There is a great quote that I feel encapsulates a lot of the thinking in this area - "Everyone interprets everything in terms of his own experience. If you say anything which does not touch a precisely similar spot in another man's brain, he either misunderstands you, or doesn't understand you at all."

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Nick Wright

27/7/2016 02:27:33 am

Thanks Alubba. There are interesting parallels in NLP, e.g. vis a vis mental maps. When I did my theological studies, I remember Peter Cotterell, the Principal, talking about 'presuppositional pools'. The idea is that what we hear, notice, interpret, understand etc. is always influenced and filtered by what we already believe. Different people and groups have different presuppositional pools - hence the risk of not undestanding or misunderstanding, even if a common language is used. It's one reason why e.g. humour is sometimes difficult to use cross-culturally. All the best. Nick

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Dr. Brent Oberholtzer

27/7/2016 02:29:17 am

Sometimes the answer is both and which throws off a lot of consultants in their practice. When we are asked for or only looking for the response we miss the point of " both, and".

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Nick Wright

27/7/2016 02:38:55 am

Thanks Brent. Interestingly, in Gestalt psychology, it is very difficult to see both 'figure' and 'ground' at the same time because each is a question of perception and, in effect, exists in the context of or in contrast to the other. This is where images such as the famous 'Is it a duck or a rabbit?' can be a useful illustration. We can switch our focus, our interpretation, to see one or the other but it can be very hard to see both at the same time. Social constructionism adds an interesting dimension to this by adding that the image of 'duck' or 'rabbit' that we perceive is socially and culturally constructed. That is, people from a different culture that had no awareness or experience of 'duck' or 'rabbit' may see something completely different in the same image. So a valuable 'both, and' approach can be (a) to find ways to shift our focus between figure and ground and (b) to consider what that which we perceive says about our existing personal and cultural beliefs and assumptions - and that could be open to useful exploration challenge. Does that make sense? All the best. Nick

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Ravi Vyas

27/7/2016 05:21:06 am

Awesome. While I have no background in psychology, I can sure appreciate the way you explain the concept. In my cryptic way, I visualize this as peeling the onion. Only the coach cannot peel it, but has to get the client to do so for himself / herself.

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Nick Wright

27/7/2016 05:27:17 am

Many thanks Ravi. The onion is a really interesting metaphor. From a Gestalt perspective, you could ask, perhaps: 'As we focus on the onion, what are we not noticing that that could explain why the onion is the focus of our attention? ' From a social constructionist perspective, we could ask, say: 'What does the meaning and value we attribute to the onion reveal to us about this cultural context?' Does that make sense? All the best. Nick

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Biodun Naomi Bamgboye

27/7/2016 01:52:23 pm

Understanding the invisible and learning how to manage it can make the difference between success and collapse of an organisation. There is so much hidden value that organisations and companies don't recognise and therefore don't manage and use, and these include experiences, education, networks, beliefs, interests, culture etc. Combining the practise of organisational development with an understanding of Intellectual/Intangible capital management gives one into a deeper insight and understanding into what you describe here so aptly.

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Nick Wright

27/7/2016 01:57:50 pm

Hi Biodun and thanks for the note. Yes, if people in an organisation can be enabled to notice what they are noticing, paying attention to, prioritising etc. and, conversely, what they are not noticing - including cultural dynammics, untapped potential etc - it can make a very big difference. A challenge can be to do this well as people and organisations sometimes choose, albeit subconsciously, to not-see or find themselves so fixated on conventional ways of seeing things that they struggle to see outside of them. Does that make sense? All the best. Nick

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Biodun Naomi Bamgboye

28/7/2016 03:15:37 am

Certainly makes sense Nick, it is a challenge for the OD consultant first to train our eyes to recognise the value of those intangibles and then to challenge the organisation/business to see them as well by using their own experiences and stories that reflect this which many times they have subconsciously blocked out.

Miranda Whitamore

28/7/2016 02:47:12 am

In a similar situation, I heard someone ask "How is it the sideshow is taking over the main event?". Rather blunt, but it surfaced the issues and refocused the discussion.
A more gentle approach might be to notice it, and refer to it as background , background noise, context, previous, or history and then explore with the individual or group whether the beliefs attached to this person or event are facts, assumptions or relevant to this instance. Nancy Kline's "Time to Think", and "More Time to Think" suggests a respectful and effective model.

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Nick Wright

28/7/2016 03:08:19 am

Thanks Miranda. I really like that 'sideshow vs main event' question. It raises so many other interesting questions that could usefully be explored further. Here are some examples:

What beliefs and values are implied in the metaphor - e.g. the value of 'sideshow' vs the value of 'main event'?

Who decides what is 'sideshow' and what is 'main event' and what does that represent in terms of culture, power etc?

How does the 'sideshow' add value to the 'main event' and vice versa - and both to the event/experience as a whole?

What does the notion of 'taking over' evoke psychologically and emotionally, including in the person's wider system?

What potential opportunities does 'sideshow taking over the main event' represent and for whom?

What if one person's 'sideshow' is another person's 'main event'?

Lots to think about - and thank you for sharing! All the best. Nick

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Eric Lynn

28/7/2016 04:44:36 am

Paradoxical Questioning ...

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Nick Wright

28/7/2016 04:46:27 am

Thanks Eric. When I read your note, Buddhist koans came to mind. Do you have any examples of 'paradoxical questions' you could share? How might it be to share them without sharing them? ;) All the best. Nick

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Eric Lynn

28/7/2016 06:57:54 am

Ah koans ... the ultimate in subtlety! A couple of immediate thoughts: (1) Which Question am I afraid of asking? Why? (2) The classical happy hippos in the mud metaphor ... What do I/we need to do to ensure that nothing changes?

Nick Wright

28/7/2016 06:58:25 am

Thanks Eric. Great questions! :) All the best. Nick

Teri Johnson

31/7/2016 04:36:13 am

One question I ask to get under the surface: "What is important to you about that?"

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Nick Wright

31/7/2016 04:39:56 am

Thanks Teri. I often pose a similar question: 'What matters most to you in this?' We can extend that to wider culture and context by following that line of exploration further, e.g. 'What makes this so important to you?', 'What does it reveal about your personal and cultural values?', 'Why this, why now?' etc. All the best. Nick

All the best. Nick

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Teri Johnson

31/7/2016 12:32:00 pm

These kinds of conversations have made me much less interested in small talk - the people who are willing to really look at themselves and go deep are much more interesting to me these days. Thanks for posing the question.

leila

1/8/2016 04:40:30 am

i see that we're back full circle to the first ideas thrown into this interesting exchange of ideas Nick.

Thank you Eric and Nick for touching upon the koans here. Yes, a topic close to my heart through my research as well as my work.

You are right Terri, once reflecting on the koans, we break away from normal thinking into 'paradoxical' insights that are truly enriching.

This blog is timely as i prepare myself to go back to my work. It has reminded me how diving within brings out the 'shadow' to the surface through the paradoxical questions when facing the self.

Self or Organizations; it is an invitation for the specific to dive into the collective.

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Nick Wright

1/8/2016 07:18:35 am

Thanks Leila. Yes, it was you who introduced me to koans! I'm intrigued by your comment: 'Self or Organizations; it is an invitation for the specific to dive into the collective.' Can you say a bit more about what you mean, perhaps with an example to illustrate what it could look like in practice? All the best. Nick

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Katherine Hyslop

1/8/2016 06:50:17 am

Sociology ! Sociological thinking! Yes - very interesting to see ideas migrate and have useful application in other areas of thought. Coaching principally focuses on the individual of course however context and social construct has deep significant meaning for the way an individual behaves responds ; values beliefs etc
Interesting thanks, Katherine

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Nick Wright

1/8/2016 07:02:30 am

Hi Katherine. Yes, there are clear parallels and insights between fields such as sociology and organisation development. My sense is that conventional ideas in both fields are being challenged by social constructionism which is, in my view, a very good thing! I agree that coaching tends to focus on the individual - although I'm noticing a more recent shift towards team coaching too - and yet an exploration of wider influences can be so beneficial. As an example of a coaching case study that starts to shift focus from intrapersonal issues to wider contextual issues, you may find this short piece interesting..? http://www.nick-wright.com/what-is-really-going-on-here.html All the best. Nick

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Katherine Hyslop

1/8/2016 07:31:14 am

Yes Nick thanks All very relevant. Dare I venture to suggest that deeper sociological thinking would strain the very notion of how we predominantly ''think' / '' process'' eg ''problem-solving''. We may think we are sufficiently adaptable as to eg embrace other ''models''. Humans are unable to be for example: truly value free. 2 plus 2 = 4 yes but if we pick up the themes in your article clearly our ''value free'' state is severely challenged. The very thought path ways we tread eg ''team building '' and ''values and beliefs'' etc are themselves social constructs emanating from within a wider construction which is social; and all that such entails but yes - I think it is useful to cross pollinate and etc.,; thanks for sharing!! I do believe that Sociological thinking has much to contribute / challenge Thanks K R Katherine.

Nick Wright

1/8/2016 07:37:19 am

Thanks Katherine. I think you expressed social constructionism very well! If I was being playful, I would challenge '2 plus 2 equals 4' as a socially-constructed idea that holds true in mathematics but not necessarily in other areas. :) Are you familiar with Kenneth Gergen's and Vivien Burr's work in this area? I find them so incredibly insightful, challenging and inspiring. All the best. Nick

Yosara Geerlings

2/8/2016 05:28:56 am

I find that Clean Questions (Clean Language) work well to find out about the invisible experience of anything ..

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Nick Wright

2/8/2016 05:30:28 am

Thanks for the note, Yosara. Do you have any examples from experience that you would be willing to share with us to illustrate what the clean questions approach could look like in practice - particularly in terms of surfacing the 'invisible'? Thanks! All the best. Nick

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Eric Lynn

2/8/2016 06:05:10 am

Yosara: What exactly do you mean by "Clean Questions"? I've never heard the term before.

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Mark Molitor

3/8/2016 02:53:17 am

Thanks for sharing this clear and practical explanation of the theory Nick. Learning (and as a coach, teaching) mindfulness practices certainly assists with recognising that there's background in play and then helps in openly exploring that too.

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Nick Wright

3/8/2016 03:03:44 am

Hi Mark and thanks for the note. Do you have any practical examples of using mindfulness to illuminate the background that you would be happy to share? I'd love to hear more.

I had an interesting conversation with a leader yesterday who spoke about a team meeting that had become suddenly and inexplicably 'chaotic'. In its own terms, it was surprising and didn't seem to make any sense.

Instead of focusing on team relationship and dynamics (in Gestalt, the 'figure'), we decided to explore the backdrop to the meeting (the 'ground') instead.

It turns out the team had met that day to explore new, radical and innovative ways to 'disrupt the market'. Against that backdrop, the team found itself coping with its own 'disruptive' behaviour.

This shifted the focus of our conversation from repairing team relationships to looking at how to handle 'disruptive' interventions in a team healthily - seeing the opportunity in it rather than trying to resolve or dissipate it.

Does that make sense?

All the best. Nick

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Yosara Geerlings

8/8/2016 02:06:56 am

Hi, I have been on a holiday, there for this belated reply. Clean Language is a technique that explores what happens in the unconscious thinking through asking about metaphors. It is a technique that keeps the experience of a client in tact or clean. A question like: "what is most important" assumes that there must be something most important. Clean Questions are clean of any kind of assumptions. For example: and when ....(their words) what is that like? or: and what happens when ... (their words) or: and is there any thing else about ...(their words). A book: Metaphors in Mind by Penny Tompkins and James Lawley. And I do organize online training for coaches that would like to add Clean Language to their coaching pallet.

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Nick Wright

8/8/2016 02:17:54 am

Thanks Yosara - and welcome back! Hope you had a good holiday. :) I feel drawn to the clean questions idea...although I'm not entirely convinced that any language or intervention is ever entirely 'clean' or assumption-free - but I'm open to be challenged (in a clean way) on that!

It is also making me think about an approach I was invited to think about when working as a coach tutor with 3D Coaching in the UK: about matching language for rapport and mismatching for change.

The idea is that posing a question from a different angle or perspective - e.g. using different language or metaphor to that of the client - can sometimes create a useful shift in awareness, insight or ideas that would be unlikely to occur without the mismatch.

I'm ordering a copy of the Tompkins and Lawley book now! :) All the best. Nick

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Nick is a freelance coach, trainer and OD consultant specialising in reflective practice.